Fishing lure



FISHING LURE A Filed June 13, 1944 Y Patented Oct. 2,1945

UNITED STATES FISHING 'A John Helfenstein, Minneapolis, Sl Q"Applioaiion .lime 13, 1944, pasantes i' j i s claims. (clizia-eej Thisinvention relates generally to the class of shing and trapping andpertains particularly to 'improvements in fish attracting and hookingdevices or 1ures.`

A principal object of the present invention is 5 to provide a fishinglure of the so-called weedless type, wherein there is provided a hookand a weed guard or deflector having novel mounting means wherebyrelative movement is permitted between the hook and the weed guard`which` causes the hook to be shiftedA Vinto snaring position when theweed guard is caused to shift under the action of a fish taking the lurein its mouth.

Another object of the invention is tolprovide a fishing lure comprisingaA spoon, a hook pivotally mounted on the spoon and a weed guardpivotally mounted on the spoon and pivotally coupled with the hook insuch manner Vthat when the spoon is struck by a` fish so that its rearend is` taken in the iishs mouth together with the weed guard, the hookis caused to shift into hooking engagement with the jaw of the fish.

Another object of the Vinvention is to provide a fishing lure of thecharacter stated, wherein the Weed guard is connected with the spoon insuch a manner that the guard will maintain its position while being castandV while the spoon is drawn through the water, the shifting of theguard for the exposure of the hook point being possible only upon Vtheapplication of positive pressure against the guard toward the spoon bodyto which the guard is'pivotallyV connected.

Still another object of the invention is torprO- vide a fishing lure ofthe character stated, hav- 35 ing a novel head end formation whichcauses the lure to resemble or simulate an insect.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompany-40 ing drawing forming a part of the present application, with theunderstanding,Y however, that minor changes and modications may be madein the invention so long as such changes or modi- Vflcations do notdepart materially from the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device embodying the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure #l :s a longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the de 55 fishing line thereto.i

Vice .ShOWiIlgLSad guardadepressed and the.. 150k Projected.l i

.- Figure 6`is a ytransvelj,sefsection-onthe line Ef-u-B f3.1; V- .j,-Figure 7- isI a ,section ont the 4line .'I-u-.l r of. Figure 1:

` l q i f Referring Anow more particularly to -theiv draw,-

ing, ,the numeral I0v generally designates theibody Vof the lure which:isinfthe form of theconventional and well-known shingfl spoon. Thisspoon,

" as is common with Asuch.devices l is` relatively" long vand. lis, ofgraduallyinereasing widthfromhiits forward end whiehfis designated il,toits 4rear end I2r and in addition to Ybeing vrounded at its rear end,it is slightly transversely arcuate through the major' ,portion otitslength, the greatest degrec of convexityfbeing-adjacent the rear end. Inaccordanceowith 1thepresent. invention'gthe forward end Il ofthe spoonbody is extended an'd bent or turned back to form .tlie..n,eck..li3A

andthis merges into. the short rearwardlyT directed headportionidwhichjs alsov slightly transversely arcuate, ythe top or convex side ofthe head beingdirectedoupwardly toward `the under or con: cave side of.the'jspoonl body 'I iJ.- Inorder' that the head. may .morenatulallysimulate that .of an insect orsmall animal reach .curved side thereofhas an eye 5 painted or otherwise suitably ,formed thereon.

Formed throughithecenter of the neck iuponV the longitudinal 'center ofthev spoon. is a ,suitable aperture to receivethewirepinl, the rear'endof which is formed Vin the eye' l 'l .to prevent it from passing throughthe aperture, not shown, while the forward `end is suitably looped `orotherwise formed as` at `I8` to facilitate` the attachment of a The bodyof thelurezspoon |o` is formed with the longitudinal `opoiiiiog is,which is located on is"preferablyformedfin a'singlepieceor: bodyandcomprisesthe relatively long'lower portion 22 having the rearwardlydiverging longitudinally arcuate lingers 23, and the shorter lever arm24 which forms an integral part of the body 22 and Y overlies the sameas illustrated.

The guard is pivotally mounted upon the pin 20 at the point ofconnection between the body 22 and the lever arm 24 so that the arm 24lies adjacent the slot or opening i9 while the guard side of the spoon.The lingers of the guard also curve or extend laterally as shown inFigure 2.

Rearwardly of the slot I9 there is secured to the underside of thespoon, upon the longitudinal center thereof, the depending post 25 whichis slotted to receive the shank portion 26 of the shing hook 21. A pivotpin 28 passes through the postmid acrosstbeshank, uponzthe'side of theshank remote "fromtthe inner end :of vthe :slot and adjacent to the endof the shank remote from the hook proper. the slot for free swinging orrocking movementso that the hook may oscillate in a plane exten-dingthrough the longitudinal center ofthe spoonbody.

The free end of the hook shank 26, forwardly of the post 25, ispivotally attached-as at 29, to the free rearward end of the weed guardleverarm 24.

Supported upon l'tifiefpivotpin "20 'is a spring 30, one end of whichbears against the underside of `:the i spoon while :the Y'other-endbears against the body 22 of the weed guard. This spring func- 'tionsftonormally urge'theweed guard away from the underside of the spoon andconsequently this causes the corresponding oscillation-of the arm 24i'away 'romthe bodyof thespo'on-so-'as vto oseillate thehookto movethebackpart of thehook toward `the fcurved underside of the spoon body.'Ihus -when fthe Ihook Land -weed jguard-have been' oscil- "latedinthemanner `stat-ed undertheractionfoffthe spring 30 the point -ofAthehook 'will :be located `withinithe `"space between-'the fingersofthe weed Yguard'andthe-underside or ythe spoon andconsequentlywhen'theflureisrdrawn throughweeds vor other material inithewatersuchmaterial will' be deflected awayif-rom'the-'hookpointandithe latter twill remain Yclean and the .lurecannot `become A'foulednr-snagged. Y

Wl'ren-efflshstrikes*the"lurefandftakes the same inits mouth the closingof the jaws williswing the weed Aguard *in *toward the Yunderside A'of.the .s poon. This will cause .an -oscillation'of 'thehookupon'lthegpivot 28soasfto project the point of the.'hookdownwardlyibetweenthe:fingers o'fjtheweed guard whereit .mayreadily :engage'jn the j aw of theis'lL I claim:

Il. A shing lure, comprising ya body adapted to have a line l.attachedthereto,j a `hook 4 member ln iourrtednpon oneside of the' body, Ya weed'def flector 'supported upon the said ,one side ofthe *body for movementrelative theretp'andnormally arranged :with the pointo said ihQo'kbetween "the de'ilector andthe said one.s i'de.. of"thelbo'dy, and anoperative coupling between theweegdwdehector and the `hook 1whichis ,sotconstructed and This pin retains the shank :in

ffhook will'fbe oscill-ated to project .its :point beyond the deflector,and resilient means normally f. #maintaining said weed dei'lector inguarding relatio-n with the hook point.

3. A fishing lure, comprising a relatively long .bcdy,.lmeans at one endof the body for attaching a line thereto, a weed deflector comprising 1arelatively "long member formed at one end to provide two divergentlyrelated fingers, a pivotal connection between the weed deflector memberfandyone side ofthe body Yadg'a'cent ,one end of v the latter, an armintegral :with the ideflector memberto oscillate .therewithzrelati-ve-to:the body, a hook having a relatively long shanka mount* Ving for :saidhook shank upon .the said ione side of thebody .facilitating oscillation.ofthe hook, `and a'pivotal connection between .the Tfree end -of :thehook shank-and the said farm, .said weed fdeilector member norm-allyvhaving a .spaced relation with the said one side Y,of the body, the.hook being :disposed lin vthe espace between the .body-and thedeflector ngers, thefoscillationof the deflector ltowardthebodyeffecting-.the oscillation of the hook and the projection of thehook point between `the v:lingers to the vside of .the deflectorremotefrom'thebedy.

arranged that Aupon oscillation of v the weed .de-

'Hector A'toward Athe Lsaill.smeside of tllebodythe 4. A iishinglure asset orthin claim .3, -and .spring means .normally-urging oscillation ofthe weed deflector .awayfromsaidbody :5. A shing lure of the characterstated, .conn prising a relatively long 'slightlytransversely ,antcuateplate having a .rearwardly directed head at one end, a'pivotcarriedbyfthe plate -on the -sde of thekk plate toward the head, arelatively vlong weed vdeflector member having a reverted lever varm atone -end connected `to the pivot, said leverarm beine .disposed .between.the memv-berand the plate-said member-atfits-.other vend .being formedto -provide ,a .pair .of -divergently yrelated guard vfingers, a hook.havingarelatively long shank, Imeans -.oscillatably coupling the freeend of the vshank -to :the `plate,:apn/.etal connection betweenthe freeend of .the shank :andsaid lever arm, -said hook -having itsjpoint-inethe space between the lingers :and :the plate .when the .fin- .gersareY atvthe limitof their movement fromthe plate, :the hook having itspoint-movedaoutwardly ,between .the ngers and away Afrom .the .platewhen the lingers areoscillated toward the plate.

v.6. .A shing lureof thecharaeter set forth in claim .5, .andspringmeans. -carried upon said vpivot vand engaging between .the .plateand A.theweed deflector member .to normally urge the'deflector lingersoutwardly away from the plate.

J ,GHN HELFENSTEIN.

